Solar for ME

One of the selling points for a photovoltaic solar installation on your home (those black rectangular things that make electricity from the sun), is that you can feed the extra electricity you don’t use into the grid, and then, in the case of Maine, get energy credits to use when you need them. This concept is called Net Metering, and it allows hard-working folks who are at jobs during the day and not using electricity while it’s being created on their roof to still reap the benefit of the investment.

Now, thanks to the PUC and our anti-environment governor, net metering is on the chopping block, and as a result the entire solar industry in Maine is imperiled. I have been yearning to install solar panels on my roof for years and I’ve been waiting for the price point to come down enough to intersect with my income. Finally, it’s within reach for me, but who can afford to produce free solar for the utility and then have to buy it back from them?!

Enter Seth Berry’s (Bowdoinham state rep) bill – LD 1373, which would save net metering, re-establish the solar rebate program, and in turn bolster the solar industry, bringing new jobs to the state. This bill is still in committee, but your legislators need to hear from you. We can’t have a repeat of last year’s LePage veto of Maine solar. Support LD 1373. Save solar for ME!

Matt Loosigian

Brunswick